Monday, December 31, 2012

Best Vegan Waffles Ever

It's New Year's Eve today and as I look back at 2012, I can't help but feel incredibly grateful for all the wonderful moments that happened this year. Hubby and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had our first family vacation at Disneyland. We bought our home. And my blog reached over one million visits. It's been such an amazing year and now I'm looking forward to what 2013 has in store.

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So on my last post for this year, I thought I'd try to come up with some decadent, mindblowing dessert. Maybe something with chocolate. LOTS of chocolate. Truffles perhaps? Eh. That was so last year. Or maybe a towering cake with tons of frosting and fancy decorations? Nah. Been there. Done that. Aha! How about putting my own little spin on a trendy ingredient, like...kale. Uh...Nope. Not gonna go there. To be honest, all I could really think of is how I can make a better waffle?

Okay, as much as I love my first recipe for vegan waffles,
I can't say with 100% conviction that it tastes exactly like the kind of waffles you'd get at a waffle house or you'd make at home. The distinct flavor and aroma of the coconut milk comes out too much and it keeps it from truly tasting like a "regular" waffle. Also, they were a bit more dense and chewy than I'd like them to be. This really bothered me so I had to go back and rework the recipe again.

So what's so different about these waffles? Well, I kicked the coconut milk to the curb (sorry, I 'll save you for something else) and brought back rice milk, which has a much neutral flavor. I took my vegan pancake recipe, adjusted the amounts of some of the ingredients and tried it again. This time, the waffles turned out even better than the coconut milk ones. The dough is a lot lighter and airier inside and it has a nice crispy outside. But the most important thing is they taste exactly like a waffle. Dare I say, these are the best vegan waffles ever!

Another important change I made with these waffles is that I invested in a really good waffle maker. My brother has been using a Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker for a while and he's been telling me time and time again, "You need to get this waffle maker!" After hemming and hawing about it, I finally got one for myself. And I'm soooo glad I did. It's true. It really does make the perfect waffles. I love that you can flip it over and it beeps when it's fully cooked. It takes the guesswork out of wondering if the waffles are done or not. I can't even count how many times I've burnt waffles with my old waffle maker because I left it in too long. I also had the opposite problem where I'd open it too early and the waffle splits in the middle and I'd have to scrape it off from the waffle plates. Well, I don't have those problems with this waffle maker. Wow, do I sound like an infomercial or what?

Seriously, I'm kind of obsessed with waffle making now. Good thing my kids haven't grown tired of eating them (yet). I love making a batch for Sunday brunch and freezing any leftovers for later in the week. And even though my 3 year old can't have whipped cream on top of his waffle, he's more than happy to top it with tons of fruit instead :-)

I'm so happy to share this new and improved vegan waffle recipe with you. I hope you'll like it and maybe it will become a part of your Sunday brunch tradition :-)

Preheat waffle maker (if you're using a Waring Pro, set it between 4 or 5).In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray or lightly brush with oil . Pour batter onto waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Serve plain or garnish with fresh fruit and syrup. Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post. I purchased these items myself and wanted to mention them by name because I used them and genuinely like them :-)

I never comment on people's blogs but I am so happy I just have to this time!I came online to get the recipe for vegan waffles that I hadn't copied down yet (it's 9am here right now in the UK) and I find this! an even BETTER recipe I am so happy. What a great start to 2013 :-D

These ARE the best Vegan waffles ever! My son recently decided to eat Vegan. But, he's really not about health, health food, in fact, I'd call him a vegan junk foodie. I've been trying different vegan recipes, but they have been more on the side of healthy food (whole wheat flour, ground almonds, ground flax seed, wheat germ). They are great! Thanks!!

These really are the best vegan waffles! Thank you for this amazing recipe! We have milk/egg allergies, and top it off with coconut whip cream! one can full fat coconut milk chilled. carefully scoop out coconut milk leaving the water behind. whip in a chilled bowl with 2/3 cup icing sugar.

we love this recipe! I subbed the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. my whole family enjoyed the waffle, the little ones loved that I sprinkled a few choco chips in the waffle. thanks for such a great recipe!!!

Thank you Rianne for this wonderful recipe. Since being diagnosed with IBS several years ago I'm always on the lookout for non-dairy (vegan) baked goods recipes.

Not to quibble but I would chance the name of the recipe to "The Best(and easiest)waffle recipe (that just happens to be vegan)", Of course that's a bit long so I guess you should stick with the original name. Allen

Awesome waffles. I used soy milk and avocado oil but left out the sweetener in my first batch, which turned out fantastically fluffy with a good chewiness. For the second batch I used virgin coconut oil, and they turned out just as good. In my enthusiasm with the recipe, I tried this batter as pancakes, too because I just haven't found a perfect vegan pancake recipe yet. I would stick with this for waffles as the pancakes were a bit too dense. Must be something about the double sided iron that makes this work for waffles but not pancakes. Regardless, fantastic recipe. Thanks for posting.

These are the best waffles I have ever had!(vegan or otherwise). I have made them twice in the last 2 weeks! The first time was for my husband's parents (who are not vegan), and they loved them. I've even been eating them plain and they are so delicious! I substituted melted coconut oil and they turned out great! Delicious! And it is a wonderfully simple recipe! Thank you for sharing!

Great job on this recipe! I had to stop having dairy and eggs because my baby is highly allergic...and it was really hard for me not to be bummed out about not having some of my very favorite foods. So thanks for taking the time to make this recipe amazing. We decided they are the best waffles we've ever had!

I have been making batches of these for a month straight for my sister and myself. We're both lactose intolerant and trying to eat healthy. These are our favorite breakfast. I add a mashed banana or a grated apple and a good tablespoon of cinnamon to the mixture and they turn out amazingly each time, no matter the slight alterations to the recipe. They are fool-proof. Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe!

These waffles are great! I usually make these other ones http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-oatmeal-waffles/, but they have so many ingredients so this recipe is a little easier.I usually use original oat milk instead of rice milk. They are super filling, I made the whole recipe and was only able to use about 1/4 or 1/3 of the batter.

I have not made waffles since going vegan 4.5 years ago (my waffle iron broke) and a friend just gave me a new waffle iron this past week. I found your recipe and decided to try them for supper tonight. Delicious! My (non-vegan) family gobbled them up and I had to make a second batch! Thank you!

Really good. I used soy milk, coconut sugar, and extra vanilla. I also used virgin coconut oil both for the batter (cut in before adding the wet ingredients) and to brush the iron. Best waffles I've had in ages. Thanks!

We got a waring pro double belgian waffle maker for our wedding just a few months ago and I've tried different recipes (vegan and non) but nothing compares to these waffles. Just made these for the hubs. He said they were the best waffles I've ever made. When I told him they were vegan and no added sugar, he couldn't believe it. I added a small handful of chopped pecans to the last 4 waffles and they turned out awesome! Thanks for such a great recipe. It will be a staple in my home!

Very glad to have found your blog. I have company coming, with one son allergic to dairy and the other allergic to eggs. I've been looking for good cookies, waffles, pancakes and muffins recipes, and you have it all! Thanks for rescuing our Sunday morning waffle tradition :).

I have the waffle maker that my family used when I was a child (I'm 29 now). It works well enough, I didn't have any real complaints, except that the waffles were never crispy. I thought that this waffle maker just didn't make crispy waffles. Turns out, I've just been using the wrong recipe for the past 20 years. Thank you for the best homemade waffles of my life.

Not supposed to coat the waffle maker with cooking spray or oil, according to the manufacturers recommendation who goes on to say that doing so could result in a buildup that will be difficult to remove.

These really are wonderful! I used vanilla rice milk and maybe I was a bit sloppy with my liquid measurements because my batter ended up being very thin, so I added about 1/4 to 1/3 cup additional flour. Thank you so much for this recipe!

I tried making these with some leftover spelt flour. The batter ended up being too thin, even after adding more flour. Then tried APF and they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe! It's hard to find good vegan waffle/pancake recipes!